Winemaker Notes
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Fairly tannic but super cool and fresh too with cola and blueberry nuanced. Chewy but really juicy, an approachable fun and easy wine still with bite, tang, juiciness and tannic density. Very appealing still with bite. Not as dense and weight as some, but wow there's a lot to like; gorgeous acidity, textured and well defined tannins, lovely punchy fruit and a long length. Delicious, still with a minty, graphite and clove lift on the finish. 2% Petit Verdot completes the blend. 3.6pH. Ageing in 40% new oak. Harvest 12 September 12 - 5 October. Tasted twice and loved it both times.
Barrel Sample: 95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted on multiple occasions, the inky-hued 2022 Château Labégorce (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) reveals a perfumed, intense nose of ripe black cherries, cassis, spicy oak, and violets. This carries to an exotic, full-bodied Margaux that brings beautiful purity, a supple, layered, elegant mouthfeel, polished tannins, and a great finish.
-
Vinous
The 2022 Labégorce has quite an intense nose, armed with pure black cherry, boysenberry, cedar and pencil box aromas. It's perhaps less floral than its peers, with a nod toward Pauillac in style. The palate is medium-bodied and silky smooth, with saturated tannins and a keen line of acidity. Composed and sensual on the finish.
-
James Suckling
The blackcurrant and blackberry aromas are very attractive here. It’s medium-bodied with firm and silky tannins and a pretty finish. Not the most complex wine, but focused and complete.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.